Suspension of Support to UNRWA is Collective Punishment: Russia

January 30, 2024 Hour: 10:41 am

On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the suspension of support by several countries to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) amounts to punishment for the population of Gaza.

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“What has happened and is happening is collective punishment, prohibited by international humanitarian law,” he said, commenting on the decision of 16 countries to stop funding this UN agency.

Such a decision came after Israel said that a dozen UNRWA workers participated in the Hamas attack on October 7, which triggered the Israeli offensive against Gaza.

Lavrov criticized the “wrong decision” to proceed with a “collective punishment” of UNRWA and, above all, the Palestinians receiving aid from this organization, instead of investigating the available information about the alleged involvement of some UN employees.

Israel has long plotted the downfall of UNRWA, aware that it is one of the biggest obstacles to eradicating the Palestinians as a people. Now most of the West is actively helping it advance its genocidal policy.

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January 30, 2024

“If these accusations exist, the circumstances must be clarified. From the very beginning, after condemning the terrorist attack on October 7, we clearly stated that it is necessary to fight against any manifestation of terrorism using means that, in turn, do not violate international humanitarian law,” insisted the Russian minister.

Following Israel’s accusations, UNRWA announced the immediate dismissal of 13 of its staff members and the initiation of an investigation into their involvement in the attack.

The U.S. was the first country to suspend funding for UNRWA. Other countries joining the initiative include Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, Romania, and Japan, as well as the three Baltic countries.

Over two million Gazans, currently displaced by the Israeli offensive, depend on humanitarian aid from UNRWA, which has over 30,000 employees and is the largest organization in Gaza.

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January 30, 2024